OT NPC Rust help., Trouble in the Swimming Pool Options

[TargaToy]

4 years ago, believed a sales pitch and my wife and I purchased an above-ground pool with a salt water system. Despite my questions to the contrary, the salesman assured me that the pool water would be "less salinic than a human tear" and that corrosion would not be a problem.

He has since "moved on" and the pool store acknowledges that the rep lied to many people. They also say he SHOULD have highlighted the fact that a salt system would void any warranties for the pool. Nice.

I'll get to the question soon.

On top of each post of the pool, there's a "joiner plate" which is made of steel. This plate rusts like crazy. Twice, I popped the caps and coated these things with an Eastwood product but I could only get to the faces...they are rusting everywhere. This year, they are crumbling into the pool.

I've ordered 17 new plates and I'm planning to treat them with the best stuff I can find before installing them. Short of powder-coating, what might I try that will make the parts far more impervious to salt water? I *think* they are galvanized steel as the come from the manufacturer.

[TargaToy]

Picked up my replacement joiner plates from the pool company today. And while I don't feel I should have had to pay for these, they will maintain their position that the salt system voided the warranty.

At least these new parts were only about $4 each.

Originals were not painted. They were Galvanized. These have a nice glossy paint on them but I want to add more protection before installing.

What coating can I reliably apply to these painted pieces that'll make them more impervious to salt water?

[ArtechnikA]

What coating can I reliably apply to these painted pieces that'll make them more impervious to salt water?

If that paint can take the 325º bake it takes to properly set GunKote (recommended previously with link...) , I'd do that.
Check it out.

Of course - you are not coating metal, you are coating paint. Anything that gets under the manufacturer-applied paint will still cause adhesion failure.

The best course would be to find some uncoated brackets. I can't see it being worth the bother to strip and sandblast a whole batch of painted parts. And there's enough fabrication details in those parts that you're not really tempted to make your own in 316.

Lacking that - maybe Plastisol or PlastiDip...